The goal here is to feature five songs from one year starting from the year that I was born and moving forward. This week is a look at 1978.
I want to feature things that inspired me and still inspire me to this day. I have plenty of blind spots and holes in my listening experience, so if one of your favorites from one year doesn’t make my list, leave me a comment and tell me about it.
I encourage you to listen to some of the stuff I will list here and purchase a few tracks and/or albums by the artists listed in the coming weeks. Finding new music is fun.
Without further ado, here are my picks for 1978:
“Phase Dance” – Pat Metheny Group (Pat Metheny Group)
My entry point into Pat Metheny’s music was the American Garage album, but the “white album” is still an amazing piece of work. “Phase Dance” is such a deceptively simply tune performed with such devastating beauty. No one it became a big “hit” for the Metheny Group.
“I’m the One” – Van Halen (Van Halen)
There really are no bad tracks on the first Van Halen, but “I’m the One” has always stood out as one of my faves. It features two of Eddie’s most blindingly technical guitar solos and the rhythm guitar part (kind of a distorted jump boogie rhythm) is outstanding.
“My Song” – Keith Jarrett (My Song)
The two albums that Keith Jarrett recorded with his “European quartet” in the mid-1970′s (Belonging and My Song) are among my favorite albums in any style. I played in a jazz quartet in college that covered “Country” off of this album and I’ve always thought “My Song” is one of the great jazz ballads ever.
“(It Was) Only Yesterday” – Larry Carlton (Larry Carlton)
It is difficult to pick a favorite song off of Larry Carlton’s debut album. Carlton burns things up one side and down the other from start to finish. But his playing on this ballad is so affecting and pure that it really should be required listening for guitarists that want to play a ballad.
“Goodbye Girl” – Toto (Toto)
My favorite song from the debut Toto album. Jeff Porcaro’s groove pushes things along so well and Steve Lukather’s guitar solo is one of his best. Oh, and the impossibly fast guitar run at the end is amazing. If only it were mixed a little louder.
I didn’t expect 1978 to be so musically rich but once again it proved difficult to whittle this list down to only five songs. Songs that I left off that are still inspiring to me today include “Lights” by Journey, “Feelin’ Satisfied” by Boston, “Just What I Needed” by The Cars, “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits, “Odyssey” by the Dixie Dregs, “Brother To Brother” by Gino Vannelli, “Lights Out” from UFO’s amazing live album Strangers in the Night, and “Cygnus X-II: Hemispheres” by Rush.
